Valve for bottle filling machines



Jan, 9, 1940,

C. F. GREINER VALVE FOR BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES Filed Nov. so, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 m a R H) X ,Mw m m l r H i W 1 I v Jan. 9, 1940.

C. F. GREINER VALVE FOR BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES.

Filed NOV. 50, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. nme/ali y'eimefl, BY v M v M ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Jan. 9, 19.40 it I g i UNITED STA ES PATE T O FFlCE I 2,186,526 7 VALVE FOR BOTTLE FILLING MACHINES Clement F. Greiner, London, England assignor to' I The Liquid Carbonic Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware" Application November 30, 1938, Serial No; 243,105 4 Claims; (01. 226-115) My invention relates to improvements in apture illustrated, I provideas high as forty valves. paratus for filling containers with liquid. Eachof these valvesis of the same construction More specifically, the invention relates to apandis adapted, during the rotation of the ma paratus for filling containers with carbonated chine, to contact and fill a container. The liq- 5 liquid and has particular reference to container .uid. to be delivered to the containers is supplied 6- filling apparatus wherein initially pressure is ad-=. to the tank 'fithrough a suitablev supply pipe I mitted to the container slightly less than the connected with the main source of supply of the pressure tending to deliver the liquid to the conliquid and the liquid is periodically delivered'to tainer whereby the liquid will be slowlydelivered the tank 5, in accordancewith' the demands on 10 into the container. After a proportion of the the'tankand, in sufiicient quantities to maintain 10 liquid has been delivered to the container, the the level of the tank substantially constant. As pressure in the container is reduced to such an each of thefilling valves is of exactly the same extent that the liquid will flow therein more rapconstruction, a description of one will be sufidly. c z v In filling containers withcarbonated beverages Each of the valves is provided with a base '8 15 I and particularly in filling containers with beer, d p t b Secured Within a Suitable opening his extremely desirable'that all air be exhaustin the bottom'of thetank 5. This base supports ed from the container prior to the delivery of I a filling tube 9 adapted to be projected into the beer thereinto and it is further desirable that container to be filled to a point slightly spaced in the filling operation,-air be excluded from the from the bottom thereof andthe bottom of this 20 container to reduce danger of spoilage or deteri-f tube, is normally closed against egress of the oration of the contents to the minimum. liquid by a pear-shaped valve Hi. The pear- My invention relates primarily to means shaped-valve is opened and closed by an operwhereby with the above type of filling machines, fitt g em l 1* which projects upwardly through the air normally in the container prior to the the filling tube 9'andis connected at its upper 25 filling operation, may be exhausted therefrom end to a diaphragml-Z operating in a pressure and to provide means whereby no additional air, chamber it formed between a head It and the even during the filling operation, will be'admitdiaph a m T h s mp p n a c st-- ted to the container. ing l5 between the peripheral edges of which For the purpose of disclosing my. invention, I and the peripheral edges o t e d the 30:

have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the diaphragm issecured. A neck It extends downaccompanying drawings, in which: v wardly. f o the base 3 a d is provided with a Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view .of so pre ure chamber I'i which communicates with a much of a filling apparatus as is necessary for comparatively short pressure tube 18 secured in 5 the understanding of my invention; theneck. Surrounding this pressure tube is a Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view oi the Valve seat 59, receivin a rubber gasket ve 213 fining l I I v biased in its closed position by a coiled spring Fig, 3 is a top plan View of the stator of the EL Pressure is admitted to the chamber I1 counter pressure controlling valve; and 1 throughan opening 22 in a boss 23, the connec- 40 Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View of the stat rv of tion of which will be morefully described here- 40 the vacuum controlling valve. V mafter. Extending upwardly from the base are In the structure illustrated, Iprovide arotary lu y 0011611111? tubes 24 communicating head i carrying the usual plurality of' vertically with the pressure chamber i! by passages 26 movable container elevating platforms 2. This and these tubes communicate with: the chamber 5 head also is provided with a supporting cylinder 13 above the diaphragm I2 by ports or passages 5 3 having an annular platform i carrying the 25. a p annular tank 5 inwhich the liquid to be deliv- Sli abIy upporte th fillin tube 9 is a ered to the container .is maintained. This fill housin 2 h v n a bellrmolltvh 28 adapted to ing tank 5 is provided with a plurality of filling engage thelcontainer.andprovided with a sealing valves 5, each of which isadapted to contact 1 gas et 29 ad p d e a e e neck of the 50 with and deliver to the liquid from the tank 5 container and seal the same at this point. The a container moved into contact therewithzby the upper portion of this housingzzl is provided with elevating platform 2. There may be as many a pressure chamber 30 and at its top, this housas desired ofthese filling valves and, container ing is provided with a seat 3| adapted to receive supporting platforms and in the particular structhe-lower end of the: tube i8 and with the seat 55 32 adapted to engage a sealing gasket 33 at the lower end of the neck I6. In operation, as the container is raised into engagement with the gasket 29, the housing 21 is raised with the container on its upward movement until the seat 32 contacts the gasket 33. At the same time, the .lower end of the tube l8 engages the seat 3| making a sealing contact therewith and the upward movement of the housing 21 raises the valve 28 off of its seat admitting pressure to the pressure chamber 1 l which pressure passes down through the tube 18 through the chamber 38 and into the container. As the pressure in the container builds up, this pressure eventually builds up through the passages 25, the tubes 24 and in the pressure chamber l3 above the diaphragm l2, thereby exerting sufiicient pressure on the diaphragm l2 to force the stem H downwardly opening the valve Ill to permit the liquid to flow from the tank 5 into the container.

The supporting cylinder 3 carries a water check tank 34 adapted to rotate with the parts heretofore described and having a top 35 pro-'- vided with a central portion comprising a rotor 36. Within the water check tank 34 is provided a pair of cylinders 3'! and 38 supported from the head 35 and the top of the cylinder 33 comprises a counter pressure stator valve 39. This stator valve 39 is provided with a port 40 extending to a groove 4| in the stator 33 and communicating with the cylinder 3?. A second port 42 extends to a groove 43 in the face of the stator and this port communicates with the cylinder 38.

The rotor 36 on the head 35 is provided with a series of ports 44, one for each of the filler valves heretofore described and each adapted to be connected by the pipe 45 with a boss 23 of the filler valve. Mounted above the rotor valve member 36 and cooperating therewith is a vacuum valve stator 46 having a port 41 therein connected by a pipe 48 with any vacuum producing means.

It is to be noted that thisport 41 communicates with a groove 43 in the face of the stator and that this groove during the rotation of the rotor 36, at proper timed intervals, communicates with the respective ports 44 of the rotor 35."

Pressure, preferably in the form of carbon dioxide under pressure, is admitted to the Water tank and the respective cylinders 31 and 38 through a tubular coupling 53 which extends through a neck 5| in the stator head 39 to communicate with the interior of the tank 33. This tubular supply member has a suitable connection, as at 5|, with a pressure supply, preferably carbon dioxide under the desired pressure. The water check tank 34 has a connection 52 with the tank 5 whereby the pressure in the tank 5 and the water check 3d is equalized. In order that the stator head 46 may be held stationary, this head is keyed, as at 43, to the tubular coupling 50. This tubular coupling 53 extends through and is keyed to, as at 53', a stationary sleeve 5| This sleeve has connected to it an anchoring rod 5F which, in turn, is ,anchored to a stationary standard 5H. The coupling member 58 is thus anchored against rotation and with it, the head 48. The stator head 39 is likewise held against rotation, it being clamped upon the tubular coupling 58 and if desired may be keyed thereon.

The water check tank 34 is provided with a suitable supply of water. Pressure, preferably in the form of carbon dioxide, is admitted to the cylinders 38 and 3'! forcing the water out of the cylinders 38 and 31 and creating suflicient pressure to maintain the water level in the tank 34 at a predetermined point with both of the cylinders 31 and 38 empty. As a result, due to the increased length of the cylinder 38, ahigher pressure is exerted in cylinder 38 than in cylinder 31.

As the cylinder 3 and associated parts is rotated carrying with it the rotor head 36, the groove '29 will be moved to coincident relationship with the port 44' of the rotor 38, thereby placing the pipe 45 in communication with the pipe 48. The container having already been moved into sealing contact with the sealing gasket 20 and thereby raising the tube IS, the valve 28 will be opened, thus placing the container in communication with the vacuum producing means and as a result for the period of time it takes for the port 48 to rotate past groove 49 a vacuum will be produced in the container to be filled, thus exhausting all of the air therefrom. The continued rotation of the rotor 36 will then place the port 44 into communication with the groove 43 thereby placing the high pressure cylinder 38 in communication with the container to be filled. The pressure in this chamber is slightly less than the head, tending to cause the liquid to flow out of the tank 5. After this pressure has built up in the container, it will build up in the diaphragm l3, as heretofore described, thereby causing the liquid valve I 8- to be opened and the liquid is admitted from the tank 5 into the container against this high pressure in the container. Due to the fact that this high pressure is only slightly less than the liquid head in the tank 5, the liquid in the tank will slowly flow into the container until it approximately reaches the level of the bottom of the tube 9. By this time, the port 44 will have passed out of communication with the groove 43 and into communication with the groove 4!, thereby placing the container into communication with the low pressure cylinder 3?. The pressure in this cylinder is less than the pressure in the cylinder 38, therefore the liquid will flow from the tank 5 into the container at an accelerated rate and will continue to flow until the head of the liquid in the tank 5, plus the pressure above this head, is equal to the pressure in the cylinder 37, at which point the liquid ceases to flow, due to the equalization of pressures, and the container will have become filled.

After the container has become filled, the support 2 begins its downward movement, first closing the valve 28 and shutting off any pressure to the container and eventually breaking the seal between the tube I 3 and its seat 32. With the pressure shut on? by the valve 20, any pressure in the chamber I I will exhaust through the bleed openings 53, thus reducing the pressure in the chamber l3 and permitting the pressure in the tank to act against the under side of the diaphragm to close the'valve l8, thus shutting the tube against the escape of any liquid therein.

I claim as my invention:

l. The combination with a filling tank, of a plurality of filling tubes associated with said tank and supplied in a cycle, a pressure tank having a plurality of pressure chambers therein, a stator associated with said pressure tank having ports therein, one for each of said chambers, a rotor having ports therein, one for each of said filling tubes and adapted to coincide in seriatim, respectively, with the ports in said stator, and a second stator having a port therein connected with a vacuum producing source and adapted to successively coincide with the ports of said rotor.

2. In a container filling machine, the combination with a rotary filling tank, of a plurality'of filling valves associated therewith supplied therefrom in a cycle; a pressure tank adapted to rotate with said filling tank and having a plurality of pressure chambers, a stator valve member associated with said chambers having ports communicating therewith, one for each chamber, a

valve rotor associated with said stator having a plurality of ports therein, one for each of said filling valves, each port being adapted to successively coincide with the stator ports and a second valve stator having a port connected to a vacuum source and adapted to successively coincide with said rotor ports.

3. In a container filling machine, the combination with a rotary filling tank, of a plurality of filling valves associated therewith supplied therefrom, a pressure tank associated with said liquid tank having a plurality of pressure chambers therein, a head closing said pressure tank, said head having a plurality of ports therein connected to said valves, one for each of said valves,

a stationary valve member arranged Within said tank having a plurality of ports therein, one connected to each of said chambers and adapted during the rotation of said pressure tank to coincide with the ports in the head thereof, and a second valve member cooperating with said head having a port therein connected with a source of vacuum, said port being adapted to successively coincide with the ports in said head.

4. In a filling machine, the combination with a rotary filling tank, of a plurality of filling valves associated therewith and supplied therefrom, a pressure tank adapted to rotate with said filling tank having a plurality of pressure chambers therein, a head for said pressure tank having a plurality of ports, one for each filling valve connected with. said valves, a relatively stationary pressure supply stem extending through said head, a stator valve member mounted on said stern and having a plurality of ports, one for each of said pressure chambers and adapted to suecessively coincide with said first-mentioned ports, and a second stationary valve member surrounding said stem and cooperating with said head having a port connected with a vacuum producing source, said port being adapted to successively coincide with theports in said head.

CLEMENT F. GREINER. 

